Speed-regulator.



N0. 685,5l3. Patented Oct. 29, I90l.

. G. LOMBARDI. I

SPEED REGULATOR.

(Application filed May 15. 1901.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

m: NORRIS FETERS c0. Pnorcujma. WASHANGTON. u. a

di wy I Patented Oct. 29, IQOI. a. LOMBABDL SPEED REGULATOR.

(Application filed May 15. 1901.)

7 0 ?p WITNESSES: D INVENTOH A TTOHNE) D Patented Oct. 29, 1901.

G. LDMBARDI. SPEED REGULATOR.

(Application filed May 15. 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

//v VENTOI? W/ TNE SSE 8 YHE NORRIS PETERS cu. PwoYc-Ltma. waswmcmx, 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GIOVANI LOMIiARDI, OF DERBY, CONNECTICUT.

SPEED-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,518, dated October 29, 1901.

Application filed May 15, 1901. $erial No. 60,284. No model.)

T at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIOVANI LOMBARDI, of Derby, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Speed-Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a broken plan View showing the application of my improved speed-regulator to an automobile; Fig. 2, a broken view in side elevation showing the operating or handle lever and the immediate connections thereof; Fig. 2 a detached plan view of the indicator-disk; Fig. 3, a broken detail view, in vertical section, showing the means employod for operating the sliding clutches of the mechanism; Fig. 4, a broken detail view,

in vertical section, on the line 0 d of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow f; Fig. 5, a detached View in rear elevation of the differential gears of the mechanism; Fig. 6, a diagrammatic viewshowing the relations of the said gears; Fig. 7, a face view of the loose gear employed in conjunction with the intermediate speed of the machine.

My invention relates to an improved speedregulator for automobiles and kindred vehioles, the object being to provide a simple, compact, convenient, and durable mechanism by means of which such vehicles may be driven at any one of several speeds and reversed by the simple revolution in one direction of a handle-lever or other equivalent manual located within easy reach of the driver of the vehicle.

With these ends in View my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claims. v In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ a handle-lever 2, located in the automobile in position for convenient op eration by the driver thereof. This handlelever is secured to the upper end of a vertically-arranged shaft 3, located within a long sleeve 4, the upper end of which carries an indicator-disk 5, the upper face of which is swept by a finger or pointer 6, connected with the hub of the said handle-lever 2, but extending in the opposite direction from the same.

bevel-pinion 7, meshing into a corresponding bevel-pinion 8, secured to a short shaft 9, mounted in a blfiCkQt 10, secured to the machine-frame 11. located at one end of a hub 12, thepther end of which carries a sprocket-wheel13, driving a sprocket-chain 14, which extends rearwardly and runs over a sprocket-wheel 15, mounted upon the inner end of a cam-shaft 16. Two grooved cams l7 and 18, mounted upon the said camshaft, are respectively formed with grooves 19 and 20, which are suitably differentiated in form to cause one cam to act after the other, as will be explained farther on. The groove 19 of the cam 17 receives a friction-roll 21, mounted upon the upper end of a vertically-arranged operating-lever 22, extending upward from a hub 23, mounted so as to turn or rock upon a horizontal rod 24, secured in the frame of the machine and extending forwardly therein at a right angle to the camshaft 16. The said hub 23 has secured to it two springs 25 25, extending upwardly from it and receiving betweentheir upper ends a pin 26, carried by a yoke-like clutch-shipper 27, which also turns upon the rod 24 as upon a center. The arms of this shipper 27 are furnished with antifriction-rolls 28 28, which The said bevel-pinion Sis enter a circumferential groove 29, formed in adjacent face of a small gear-wheel 36, loosely mounted upon the shaft 31 and meshing into a large gear-wheel 37, loosely mounted upon the driven shaft 38, which is journaled in too the frame of the machine and provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel 39,0ver which runs a sprocket-chain 40, also running over a large sprocket-wheel 41, mounted upon the rear axle 42 of the automobile. This axle is provided with the usual wheels 43, of which one is shown. hen the handle-lever 2 is moved, as required, through an arc of fortyfive degrees, so as to impart a quarter-turn to the cam-shaft 16at the right phase of one of its revolutions, the cam 17 will operate the clutch 30 so as to engage the teeth 34 of the clutch-head 33 with the small gear-wheel 36, whereby the vehicle will be driven at its slowest speed. When, on the other hand, the handle-lever 2 is moved another quarterturn in the same direction, so as to effect another quarter-turn of the cam-shaft 16, the groove 19 in the cam 17 will on account of its appropriate form operate through the lever 22 to rock the hub 23 in the opposite direction on the rod 24 and so as to swing the clutch-shipper in the opposite direction and slide the clutch 30 outward on the shaft 31, whereby the clutch-head 44 at the outer end of the clutch engages its face-teeth 45 with corresponding face teeth 46, formed within the circumference of the adjacent end of a gearwheel 47, larger than the gear-wheel 36 and loosely mounted upon the driving-shaft 31, to which the wheel 47 is thus coupled. This gear-wheel 47 meshes into a gear-wheel 48, loosely mounted upon the driven shaft 38 and smaller than the gear-wheel 37, before mentioned. \Vhen the clutch 30 is coacting with the gear-wheel 47, the machine will be driven at its intermediate speed. In case the teeth of the clutch do not register with the coactiug teeth of the gears when the clutch is slid in one direction or the other upon the driving-shaft, as shown, one or the other of the springs 25, according to the direction in which the clutch is mo\'ed,will yield and prevent the breakage of the teeth and effect the final interlocking of the teeth byits tension as soon as they are brought into full registration. In this way the springs 25 guard against the breakage of the mechanism.

The cam-groove 20 of the cam 18 receives an antifrietion-roll49, attached to the upper end of a vertically-arranged operating-lever 50, formed with a hub 51, turning upon a rod 52, corresponding to the rod 24 and extending parallel therewith. This hub 51 is provided with springs (not shown) corresponding to the springs 25 25 and coacting with a pin (not shown) corresponding to the pin 26 and mounted in a clutch-shipper 53, corresponding to-the shipper 27, and furnished with antifriction-rolls 54 54-, entering a circumferential groove 55, formed in a sliding clutch 56, keyed to the driving-shaft 31. At one end the sliding clutch 56 is furnished with a clutch-head 57, formed with face-teeth 58, adapted to engage with corresponding teeth (not shown) formed within the periphery of the adjacent face of a large gearwheel 59, loosely mounted upon the drivingshaft 31 and meshing into a gear-wheel 60, loosely mounted upon the driven shaft 38 and smaller than either of the gear-wheels 37 or 48, before mentioned. Vhen the handlelever 2 is operated for sliding the clutch 56 so as to cause the clutch-head 57 to coact with the gear-wheel 59, the automobile will be run at its highest speed. The opposite or outer end of the clutch 56 is provided with a reversing clutch-head 61, formed with faceteeth 62, coaeting with corresponding face teeth 63, formed upon the adjacent face of a reversing gear wheel 64, loosely mounted upon the shaft 31 and meshing into an intermediate pinion 65, mounted upon a short stud 66, and in turn meshing into a gear-wheel 67, loosely mounted upon the driven shaft 38. When the handle 2 is operated for causing the clutch 56 to eoact with the gear-wheel 64, the machine will be reversed and caused to move backward.

In order to prevent the cam-shaft 16 from being reversely rotated, its cam 17 is formed with stop-notches 68, receiving a stop-spring 69, secured to the frame of the machine. When the shaft 16 is turned a quarter-turn and brought into one of its four positions, a nose formed at the upper end of the spring 69 snaps into one of the stop-notches 68 and thereafter holds the shaft against rearward rotation.

As the gear-wheeis 37, 48, 60, and 67 are loosely mounted upon the lower shaft 38, as stated, provision must be made for coupling them thereto in harmony with the coupling of the wheels 36,47,59,and 64 to the driving-shaft 31. Forthis purpose I mount upon the driven shaft 38 two sliding clutches corresponding to the sliding clutches 30 and 56, mounted upon the driving-shaft 31. In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings I have shown one of the sliding clutches 70 on the driven shaft 38, this sliding clutch corresponding to the sliding clutch 30 on the driving-shaft 31. The sliding clutch on the driven shaft 38, corresponding to the sliding clutch 56 on the drivingshaft 31, is not shown; but its construction and operation will be'understood by the construction and operation of the sliding clutch 70, just referred to. The said clutch 70 is keyed to the shaft 38 and coacts with the gear-wheels 37 and 48 thereupon precisely in the same way that the sliding clutch 30 coaots with the wheels 36 and 47 upon the driving-shaft 31. For the operation of the sliding clutch 70 it is provided with a yokelike clutch-shipper 71, swinging upon a rod 72 and having at its upper end knucklelike connection with the lower end of the yoke-like clutch-shipper 27, the operation of which has already been described. By reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings it will be seen that when the shipper 27 is moved to engage the head 33 of the sliding clutch 30 with the gear-wheel 36 the corresponding head 74 of the sliding clutch 70 will be engaged with the gear-wheel 37 on the lower shaft 38 and that, conversely, when the shipper 27 is operated to engage the clutch head 44 with the gear-wheel 47 the clutchhead 75 of the clutch will be thrown into position to engage with the gear-wheel 48 on the lower shaft 38. It will be understood, of course, that the other sliding clutch on the shaft 38 will be operated in the same manner by the yoke-like sliding clutch coacting with the sliding clutch 56. I am thus enabled to avoid fixing the gear-wheels 37, 48, 60, and 67 upon the driving-shaft 38 and so avoid the racket incident to the constant rotation of all of those wheels. When not in actual use, the driven shaft 38 revolves within them; but they are coupled with the shaft when brought into use simultaneously with the coupling thereto of their interm esh in g gear-wheels with the driving-shaft.

I may now explain that the grooves 19 and 20 of the cams 17 and 18 are formed so that the action of the clutch-shippers will be progressive and correspond to the four quarter movements of the handle-lever and the four quarter-turns of the cam-shaft. Thus the first quarter movement of the handle-lever and the first quarter-turn of the cam-shaft will bring intoplay that part of the groove 19 in the cam 17 required to move the sliding clutch 29 to the right, so as to couple the slowspeed gear-wheel 36 to the driving-shaft, while the next quarter movement of the handle-lever and the next quarter-turn of the cam-shaft will bring that part of the groove 19 of the cam 17 into play required for sliding the clutch 29 in the opposite direction for coup ling theintermediate-speed gear-wheel 47 with the driving-shaft. The next or third quarter movement of the handle-lever and the third quarter-turn of the cam-shaft brings into play that part of the groove 20 of the cam 18 required for moving the sliding clutch 56 inward, so as to couple the high-speed gearwheel 59 to the driving-shaft, while the fourth and last quarter movement of the handle-lever and the fourth and last quarter-turn of the cam-shaft will bring into play that part of the said groove 20 of the cam 18 required for sliding the clutch 54 outward for coupling the reversing gear-wheel 6 1 to the drivingshaft for reversing the vehicle and causing it to run backward. These four changes are effected progressively, as will be observed, and necessarily so, inasmuch as the cam-shaft can only be turned in one direction, whereby the movement of the handle-lever is limited to a rotation in one direction;

- d riven .by any kind of power.

clutches mounted between the said gears upon the driving-shaft, and adapted at their ends to coact with the faces thereof to couple them to the said shaft, a cam-shaft, cams mounted thereupon, a handle-lever, connections between the said handle-lever and cam-shaft, whereby the latter is rotated by the rotation of the handle-lever in one direction, swing ing operating-levers engaged with the said cams, swinging clutch-shippers, and yielding connections between the said operating-levers and clutch-shippers.

2. In a speed-regulatin g mechanism for antomobiles and kindred vehicles, the combination with a driving-shaft, of four gears loosely mounted thereupon, two sliding clutches mounted between said gears and adapted at their ends to coact with the faces thereof tocouple the said gears to the said shaft, a camshaft, cams mounted thereupon, manuallyoperated connections for rotating the said cam shaft, swinging operating levers engaged with the respective cams, clutch-shippers swinging upon the same center as the said operating-levers and springs connecting the said operating-levers with the said clutchshippers.

3. In a speed-regulating mechanism for automobiles and kindred vehicles, the combination with a driving-shaft, of four gears loosely mounted thereupon, two sliding clutches mounted upon the said shaft between the said gears, and adapted at their ends to coact with the faces of the said gears to couple the same to the said driving-shaft, a cam-shaft, manually operable connections for rotating the same in one direction, cams mounted upon the said shaft, two swinging clutch-shippers connected with the respective sliding clutches,

two operating-levers acted upon directly by the said cams, and yielding connections bea tween the said levers and the said clutch-ship pers.

4. In a speed-regulating mechanism for antomobiles and kindred vehicles, the combination with a driving-shaft, of four gears loosely mounted thereupon, a driven shaft, gears mounted loosely thereupon and coactin g with the said gears upon the driving-shaft, two sliding clutches located between the said gears upon the driving-shaft and adapted at their ends to coact with the faces of the said gears to couple them to the said shaft, two

sliding clutches mounted between the gears of the driven shaft, and adapted at their ends to coact with the faces of the said gears to couple them to the said shaft, means for operating the sliding clutches upon the drivingshaft including swinging operating-levers, swinging clutch-shippers and yielding conncctions between the same, and connections between such means and the sliding clutches of the driven shaft whereby the loose gears on the driven shaft are coupled thereto in harmony with the coupling thereto of their corresponding gears upon the driving-shat t.

5. In a speed-regulating mechanism for antomobiles and kindred Vehicles, the combination with a driving-shaft, of a sliding clutch mounted thereupon, a driven shaft, a sliding clutch mounted thereupon, two yokelike clutch-shippers coaeting with the said clutches and with each other so that the operation of one correspondingly operates the oi her, and means for operating the said clutchshippers for eflfecting the corresponding operation of the sliding clutches, the said means including a cam-shaft, cams mounted thereupon, swinging operating-levers engaged by the said cams, and yielding connections between the said levers and the said clutch-shippers.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GIOVANI LOMBARDI. Witnesses:

JAMEs F. TORRANCE, DAVID W. BOYD. 

